Classified directory structure



y 1965 R. s. MGURN 3,192,658

CLASSIFIED DIRECTORY STRUCTURE Filed July 11, 1963 United States PatentThe present invention relates to a novel data or information storage orfiling construction, and more specifically to a novel filingconstruction of the type including a plurality of cards and the like anda container or box therefor.

While various uses for constructions incorporating features of thepresent invention will readily suggest themselves, one use for which theconstruction is particularly suitable is the filing of householdinformation such as cooking recipes and the like. Recipe boxesheretofore generally available to the housewife have usually merelycomprised a rectangular and upright box having a Width and height forreceiving a plurality of filing cards disposed in an upright positionwithin the box. Such heretofore suggested recipe boxes have generallyfailed to provide any means for readily identifying and selectingdifferent recipe cards within the box, and such heretofore suggestedrecipe boxes have usually been of a size and shape such as to makestorage and handling difiicult.

An important object of the present invention is to provide a novelconstruction for filing and storing information such as recipes and thelike in a manner which enables the stored information to be readilyidentified and separated for use and in a manner which enables theentire construction to be easily handled and stored at any convenientlocation.

A more specific object of the present invention is to provide a novelconstruction for filing household recipes and the like, whichconstruction is such as to enable a housewife or other user to add newinformation or discard old information without adversely affecing thefunctioning of the construction.

A further specific object of the present invention is to provide a novelconstruction of the above described type which may be readily stored bya housewife at any desired location such as in a drawer, on a countertop, or hanging on a wall.

A further more specific object of the present invention is to provide anovel construction of the above described type comprising a plurality ofinformation cards arranged in groups according to subject matter andseparated by divider cards, and a novel container or box constructioncooperable with all of the aforementioned cards for retaining the cardsin a predetermined relationship and for enabling the cards to be readilyidentified and separated according to subject matter.

ther objects and advantages of the present invention will becomeapparent from the following description and the accompanying drawingwherein:

F G. l is a perspective view showing a novel filing constructionincorporating features of the present invention in a closed condition;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the construction shown in FIG. 1 but inan opened condition;

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary sectional view taken generally along lines 33 inFIG. 1 and further showing an information card removed from the boxstructure and disposed in a generally upright position for readingpurposes;

FIG. 4 is a fragmentary sectional View taken generally along lines 4-4in FIG. 1; and

FIG. 5 is a fragmentary back view of the structure shown in FIG. 1.

Referring now more specifically to the drawings wherein like parts aredesignated by the same numerals throughout the various figures, a filingconstruction It) incorporating 'ice features of the present inventioncomprises a container or box structure 12 and a pack 14 of cardsincluding infor-- mation cards 16 and divider cards is. While the numberand arrangement of the cards may be varied in accordance with need, itis contemplated that there will be at least one and probably more of theinformation cards 16 between the divider cards 18 as will be apparent,the number and arrangement of the information cards may be changed atany time by the operator.

The information cards 16 are substantially identical to each other andhave a substantially rectangular configuration of predetermined lengthand width. Information may be printed directly on the cards 16 or thecards may be blank or lined for enabling the information to be writtenthereon. Of course, separate pieces of paper having the desiredinformation thereon can be pasted or otherwise secured to theinformation cards if desired.

The divider cards 13 also have a generally rectangular configuration andare substantially equal in length and width to the information cards.However, each of the divider cards includes a tab 2d projecting from anupper or forward edge thereof as shown in PEG. 2 for cooperation with acard selector element of the box structure in the manner describedbelow. The tabs 2% of the divider cards 18 are of different lengths andare arranged so that terminal end edges 22 thereof are disposed in astepped relation across the card pack as shown in FIG. 2. Preferablyopposite ends 24 of the tabs 26 are disposed substantially in a commonplane and it is to be noted that the ends 24 are all offset at least apredetermined distance from adjacent end edges 26 of the cards.Similarly, the end edge 22 of the longest tab Zll is offset inwardlyfrom adjacent end edges 23 of the cards for avoiding interference withabutment and locating means of the box structure described hereinbelow.

The box structure 1 comprises a bottom member 3 9 and a top member 32.Back marginal portions of the top and bottom members are pivotallyconnected adjacent 0pposite ends thereof by pins 34, only one of whichis shown. As shown in the drawings, the bottom member is constructed sothat it is adapted to receive the card pack 14- with the cards lyinggenerally horizontally or flat against the bottom member rather thanwith the cards standing upright on edge. Thus when the box is restingflat on a horizontal table or the like as indicated in FIGS. 1 and 2,the cards are disposed in vertically stacked relationship in the pack.While the height of the card pack may be varied, it is preferablysubstantially less than the width of anindividual card. In addition theheight of the box structure is substantially less than its Width orlength whereby to enable the box to be easily handled and storedatranyconvenient location such as in a cabinet drawer or the like.

The bottom'member 12 comprises a generally flat horizontal bottom wall36 and upstanding side flanges or Walls 38 and 49. The card pack isadapted to rest on the bottom wall 36 and the spacing between theinterior surfaces of the sidewalls or flanges 38 and 40 is substantiallyequal to but slightly greater than the length of the cards so that thecards are retained against end-wise movement relative to each other. Asshown in FIG. 2, upstanding stop or abutment elements 42 and 44 aredisposed adjacent the forwardends of the sidewalls 38 and 40, whichabutments may be provided as integral inturned flanges at the forwardends of the sidewall or as separate elements secured to the bottom wall.In any event, the abutment or stop elements 42 and 44 have inwardlyfacing stop surfaces 46 and 48 disposed substantially in a common planefor engaging the forward edges of all of the information and dividercards in the card pack for maintaining the cards in alignment with eachother. It will be noted that the stop surfaces 46 and 48 extend upwardlyfrom the bottom tion.

36 a distance in excess of the full height of the card pack whereby thecards will be maintained in proper alignment regardless of the positionin which the box may be held. In this connection it is to be noted thatthe bottom member 3b is provided with an apertured lug 59 extending fromthe back edge thereof so that the box structure may be hung by a pin onthe wall, if desired.

The top member 32 comprises a top panel 52 having a back wall 54depending therefrom for enclosing the back edges of the cards. This backwall also serves to support a portion of the cards when the top memberis opened as shown in FIG. 2. Sidewall sections 56-58 and 66-61 dependfrom opposite ends of the top panel 52 adjacent back and front cornerportions thereof for complementing the upstanding side sections 38 and4d of the bottom memher for completely closing sides of the box when thetop member is closed. In addition, the side sections 56 and 6t) areadapted to engage lower end edge portions or" the cards supported in theopen top member as shown in FIG. 2 while the side sections 58 and 61 areadapted to overlie upper corner portions of the cards for maintainingthe cards in proper alignment with each other.

In order to aid in selecting the desired cards from the card pack, theconstruction is provided with a selector element or finger 62 carried atthe inner end of a slide member 64 extending through an elongated slot66 in the top member 32. A pointer es is secured to an outer end of theslide for registering with suitable indicia 70 spaced across the topmember for indicating a position of the selector element. The indicia'70 are respectively positioned and marked in accordance with thepositions of the tabs of the various divider cards and the subjectmatter of the information cards associated with the various dividercards. A retainer 72 perferably in the form of a flexure spring elementis fixed to the slide n4 for engagement with the inner surface of thetop member and frictionally retaining the slide at any position to whichit has been manually adjusted. I

The selector element 62 extends downwardly from the top member 32 at alocation forwardly of the divider card tabs 20. However, the selectorelement includes a hori zontally extending terminal end 74 at a levelbeneath the lowermost divider card tab and extending rearwardly forunderlying the divider card tabs. The width of the selector element endportion 74 is correlated with and less than the lateral spacing betweenthe end edges 22 of successive divider card tabs. Thus when the pointerelement as is properly registered with one of the indicia 70, theselector element end portion 74- will be properly positioned forengaging a downwardly exposed area of the desired divider card tab. Whenthe top member is opened, the element 74 engages the selected dividercard tab and raises the engaged divider card and all of the cardsthereabove to the opened position as shown in FIG. 2. This actionexposes the desired group of information cards for easy reference andremoval. 7

In the embodiment shown a torsion spring 76 is mounted around the pivotpin 34 and is arranged with ends 78 and 8:) respectively bearing againstthe bottom and top members for biasing the top member toward the openedposi- T he box structure is provided with a latch mechanism forreleasably retaining the top member in the closed position. As shownbest in FIG. 3 this latch mechanism includes a strap 82 of spring metalhaving one end secured by fasteners 84 to an under side of the bottompanel 36. An intermediate portion 86 of the strap member is formedupwardly so as to extend through a slot 88 for overlapping engagementwith a lower margin of a front panel M extending downwardly from the toppanel 52'. of the top member. An outer end 92 of the strap memberextends from the top engaging section 86 forwardly beneath a raisedfront marginal portion 94 of the bottom member. The arrangement is suchthat when the front end section 92 of the latch strap is depressed, theintermediate section 86 is shifted forwardly for disengagemerit from thetop member. When this disengagement is accomplished, the spring 76functions automatically to open top member.

in order to facilitate operation of the latch member an actuator bar 96is mounted in a slot 98 in the front marginal portion M- of the bottommember. The bar 98 is adapted to be manually depressed for depressingthe outer end section 92 of the latch strap.

Th bar 9d is also adapted to retain an information card 1% which hasbeen removed from the pack in a generally po on for easy reading. Morespecifically, the bar is provided with a narrow slot 100 in its uppermargin. The bottom of the slot 1% is disposed so as to be substantiailycoplanar with the upper surface of the front marginal portion 94 of thebottom member so that the front ma al portion serves to engage oppositeends of a card supporting the slot for preventing the card from twining.It will be observed that the slot 168 has a width greater than thethickness of the card for facilitating insertion of the card and alsofor enabling the card to tilt backwardly in the manner shown for easyreading.

While a preferred embodiment of the present invention has been shown anddescribed herein, it is obvious that many details may be changed withoutdeparting from the spirit and scope of the appended claims.

The invention is claimed as follows:

3. A construction of the type described including a box comprising abottom member and a top member hingedly connected to said bottom memberfor movement between opened and closed positions, a plurality of looseunconected information cards and divider cards generally horizontallydisposed in a stack on said bottom member, said stack having apredetermined height, said information cards and said divider cardssubstantially having a common predetermined length and width, saiddivider cards separating groups of said information cards, said dividercards including tabs extending outwardly of adjacent edges of all ofsaid cards, said tabs having staggered ends for facilitating selectionthereof, all of said tabs being spaced inwardly from'opposite endportions of said edges of the cards, abutment means on said bottommember adjacent said opposite end portions of said edges, said abutmentmeans having surfaces disposed substantially in a common plane andhaving a height at least substantially equal to said predeterminedheight for engaging said edge end portions of all of said cards formaintaining the cards in alignment, and a selector element shiftablymounted on said top member for selectively engaging the tab of a desireddivider card and raising said last mentioned card when the top member isopened.

2. A construction of the type described including a box comprising abottom member and a top member and means pivotally connecting saidmembers adjacent rear edges thereof for movement between open and closedpositions, a plurality of loose unconnected information cards anddivider cards generally horizontally disposed in a stack on said bottommember, said stack having a predetermined height, said information cardsand said divider cards substantially having a common predeterminedlength and width, said divider cards separating groups of saidinformation cards, said divider cards including tabs extending outwardlyof front edges of the information cards and the corresponding edges ofsaid divider cards, said tabs having staggered ends for facilitatingselection thereof, all of said tabs being spaced inwardly from oppositeend portions of said edges of the cards, one of said bottom and topmembers including opposite sidewall sections engageable with oppositeends of said cards for retraining the cards in the stack, a selectorelement shiftably mounted on said top member for selectively engaging atab of a desired divider card and raising said last mentioned card andany cards thereabove when the top member is opened, said top memberincluding a back wall section engageable with rear edges of said cardsfor retaining the cards in the stack when the top member is closed andfor supporting said raised cards when the top member is opened, and apair of abutment means on said bottom member respectively adjacentopposite end portions of said front edges of said cards, said abutmentmeans including surfaces disposed substantially in a common plane andhaving a height at least substantially equal to said predeterminedheight for engagement with said opposite end portions of said frontedges of all of said cards.

3. A construction, as defined in claim 2, wherein said side sections areon said bottom member and are disposed for engaging intermediateportions of opposite ends of said cards, said side sections having aheight at least equal to the height of said stack of cards, and saidside sections having generally straight upper edges extending forsubstantial distances along the intermediate portions of the ends of thecards whereby said side sections are adapted to engage and retain all ofthe cards against twisting movement relative to each other.

4. A construction, as defined in claim 3, which includes additional sidesections on said top member for complementing the first mentioned sidesections in closing the sides of the box when the top member is closedand for engaging and retaining cards raised with the top member when thetop member is opened.

5. A construction, as defined in claim 2, which includes latch meansbetween said top and bottom members for re leasably retaining top memberin closed position, said h latch means comprising a depressable bar forreleasing the latch means, said bar having elongated notch means thereinfor receiving and supporting an information card removed by an operatorfrom the box for enabling the operator to read the card.

6. A construction, as defined in claim 4, which includes spring meansbetween said top and bottom members for biasing the top member towardthe opened position.

7. A construction, as defined in claim 2, wherein said box has a lengthand width substantially greater than its height, said height of said boxbeing less than the length and width of said card.

8. A construction, as defined in claim 2, wherein each of said groups ofinformation cards includes a plurality of cards.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,541,881 2/51Menning et a1. 40104 2,575,482 11/51 Berger 40104 2,652,647 9/53 Sucier4010 2,717,463 9/55 Sindler 4011 X 3,055,131 9/62 Novak 4036 JEROMESCHNALL, Primary Examiner.

1. A CONSTRUCTION OF THE TYPE DESCRIBED INCLUDING A BOX COMPRISING ABOTTOM MEMBER AND A TOP MEMBER HINGEDLY CONNECTED TO SAID BOTTOM MEMBERFOR MOVEMENT BETWEEN OPENED AND CLOSED POSITIONS, A PLURALITY OF LOOSEUNCONNECTED INFORMATION CARDS AND DIVIDER CARDS GENERALLY HORIZONTALLYDISPOSED IN A STACK ON SAID BOTTOM MEMBER, SAID STACK HAVING APREDETERMINED HEIGHT, SAID INFORMATION CARD AND SAID DIVIDER CARDSSUBSTANTIALLY HAVING A COMMON PREDETERMINED LENGTH AND WIDTH, SAIDDIVIDER CARDS SEPARATING GROUPS OF SAID INFORMATION CARDS, SAID DIVIDERCARDS INCLUDING TABS EXTENDING OUTWARDLY OF ADJACENT EDGES OF ALL OFSAID CARDS, SAID TABS HAVING STAGGERED ENDS FOR FACILITATING SELECTIONTHEREOF, ALL OF SAID TABS BEING SPACED INWARDLY FROM OPPOSITE ENDPORTIONS OF SAID EDGES OF THE CARDS, ABUTMENT MEANS ON SAID BOTTOMMEMBER ADAJCENT SAID OPPOSITE END POSTIONS OF SAID EDGES, SAID